1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, a gateway card, a gateway device, and a computer program that are installed at home for adjusting communication protocols between different networks, capable of saving space, improving performance, and saving power.
2) Description of the Related Art
Recently, not only personal computers, but also home appliances such as the televisions and telephones, have been equipped with the Internet connection function that makes it possible to connect these home appliances to the Internet.
When a user purchases such an apparatus, it is required to do settings so that the apparatus can be connected to an access point of the Internet. These settings generally take lot of time and are tedious. Moreover, it is necessary to connect these apparatuses to telephone lines, to computers etc. These connections are generally complex and troublesome.
A gateway device called a home gateway or the like has attracted attention in recent years. What this device does is that it adjusts differences in communication protocols between the network at home and external networks including the Internet.
Precisely, all the devices in the home that have the Internet connection function are connected to this gateway device and the gateway device is connected to the public telephone line or other network. All the devices connected to the gateway device can be connected to the Internet so that tedious settings or complex wiring is not required.
A remote control system that remote controls home appliances such as a video recorder via the Internet and the gateway apparatus, has been proposed.
Japanese Patent Applications Laid-open Nos. H11-58412, H10-254636, H11-249967, H7-56694, H10-320259, 2000-267928, and S61-275945 disclose prior art.